Charles Stewart Smith Jr.

1936 - 2012

Charles 'Chuck' Stewart Smith, Jr., Our beloved husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, age 76, passed away to his heavenly home after a prolonged illness on November 18, 2012, at the Coastal View Healthcare Center in Ventura.

He was born on May 17, 1936, in Camden, N.J., to Charles and Gertrude Smith, and spent his early years in Oaklyn and then moved to Westmont, N.J. In 1954, after completion of school at Collingswood High, he worked for a surveyor for three years. In Sept. 1957, he applied and was accepted into a five-year student-trainee program in engineering at the Naval Material Center in Philadelphia, Pa. In 1962, he became a full-time Civil Engineer when he graduated from Penn State University. In 1966, he was hired by Naval Facilities East Central Division. In October of 1967, he and the family moved to Bangkok, Thailand, where he worked for the OICC NAVFAC on training facility construction projects.

In 1970, the family returned to New Jersey, while he took a position with OICC NAVFAC CONTRACTS in Saigon, Vietnam, where he served as the Senior Navy Program Manager responsible for all the Navy construction projects in Vietnam. During that year he acquired his Civil Engineering License. In 1970, he returned to a job offer with the Seabee Systems Engineering Office in Port Hueneme, which later became the Civil Engineer Support Office (CESO). In 1985, he was selected as Deputy Director.

Next he assumed the position of Director of the Equipment Engineering and Resource Division. His division performed outstandingly in support of the troops in Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm. He retired on May 28, 1991, with more than 34 years of service with the U.S. Navy.

He was an active member of College United Methodist Church, The Conejo Valley Macintosh Users Group, The Ventura Chess Club, and The Sunrise Optimist Club. Chuck loved sports, particularly track, baseball and football, and its competitiveness spurred him on. Naturally, he was an avid fan of Penn State Football, the Lakers and the Dodgers. He and his friends ran and biked out Foothill Rd. to Santa Paula for many years. He was very knowledgeable about his stamp and coin collection. He became involved with our children as a coach with the youth Tigres Track Team, a soccer referee, and then moving on to being a walk-on coach for the Buena High School track team.

In the later years, he and Lynne spent quality time socializing and working out with their friends at the gym.

There were many wonderful family times with trailering all over the U.S. and belonging to the Dustriders Camping Club.

He is survived by and will be greatly missed by Lynne, his loving wife of 52 years; their children: Donna Murphy of Rosamond, Kimberly Kieffer (Lee) of Garnet Valley, Pa., and Chuck III (Lisa) of Brooklyn, N.Y.; as well as his treasured five granddaughters, three great-grandsons, and two great-granddaughters. He is also survived by his two brothers, David Smith (Joan) of Forked River, N.J., and Stephen Smith (Barbara) of Bluffton, Texas; along with his sister-in-law Ronell Powell (Edward) of Collingswood, N.J.; and his brother-in-law Gary Watson (Carole) of Sewell, N.J.

His move to California was a dream come true for him and the family. We have made many wonderful friends over the 42 years we have lived here. His home was his Camelot.

A Celebration of Life Service will be held on December 28, at 10:30 a.m., at Ted Mayr Funeral Home & Crematory, 3150 Loma Vista Road, Ventura, CA. In lieu of flowers, the family would be pleased if you made a donation in his memory to College United Methodist Church, 4300 Telegraph Road, Ventura, CA 93003. Arrangements were entrusted to the care of Ted Mayr Funeral Home & Crematory. Condolences may be sent to www.TedMayrFuneralHome.com.